JUSTICE  - SIMPLICITY- UN  IFOIIIITY. 


I|:  ! M . 

I i-  I VI  I ' ' -I  ' 

BEITISH  ANB  UNITED-STATES 


POST-OFFICES 

COMPARED. 


PREPARED  BY  OTIS  CLAPP. 


BOSTON: 

FOR  THE  COMMITTEE  OF  PUBLISHERS. 
. . 1878. 


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BRITISH  AND  UNITED-STATES  POST-OEFICES 

COMPARED. 


4.619.000. 000  letters  were  sent  through  the  English  post-offices 
between  1839  and  1854  inclusive. 

955.000. 000  letters  went  through  the  United-States  post-offices  in 
the  same  sixteen  years ; an  excess  of  nearly  five  to  one  against  our 
post-office. 

The  gross  receipts  upon  English  letters  were  $164,500,000;  ex- 
penses, $93,500,000 ; and  the  net  revenue  nearly  $71,000,000. 

The  total  revenue  and  expenses  in  the  United-States  Post-Office 
were  about  the  same ; namely,  $82,000,000,  except  that  government 
should  have  been  charged  some  $20,000,000  for  government  and 
congressional  postage.- 

This  shows  the  receipts  of  the  English  Post-Office  were  double 
that  of  the  United  States,  while  its  cost  was  only  $11,500,000  more ; 
also  that  it  yielded  a profit  of  $71,000,000,  while  the  United-States 
Post-Office  has  yielded  no  profit,  except  to  do  the  government  ser- 
vice free.  What  is  the  cause?  The  answer  is  this.  The  govern- 
ment of  the  English  Post-Office  have  furnished  facilities  to  invite  and 
to  distribute  mail  matter ^ and  this  has  brought  both  business  and  profit. 

The  United-States  Post-Office,  having  failed  to  do  this,  has,  there- 
fore, run  behind. 

How  CAN  Cheap  Postage  be  made  Remunerative? 

This  question  was  answered  by  Mr.  Banning,  postmaster  of  Liver- 
pool, England,  who  had  spent  his  life  in  the  post-office,  and  his  father 
before  him.  His  evidence  was  this:  great  many  deliveries^ fa- 

cilities for  sending  letters^  quickness  of  despatch^  must  be  the  best  way  of 
raising  revenue''’ 


4 


The  Commissioners-of-Revenue  Inquiry,  in  England,  used  this  lan- 
guage : — 

“The  facility  of  frequent,  punctual,  and  quick  communication, 
which  the  institution  of  the  post-office  was  calculated  to  secure,  may 
be  justly  classed  among  the  elements  of  profitable  commerce.  It  is 
essential  to  the  purpose  of  government,  and  subservient  to  all  the 
ends  of  national  policy.” 

Rowland  Hill’s  first  propositions  were,  “ 1st,  Uniform  and  low 
rate ; 2d,  Increased  speed  in  delivery ; 3d,  Greater  facilities  for 
their  despatch ; 4th,  Simplifications  in  the  operations  in  the  post- 
office,”  &c. 

On  these  principles  the  system  of  cheap  postage  was  established  in 
England  in  1839.  An  idea  of  its  success  can  be  gained  from  the 
tables  which  follow. 

The  London  District  Post  comprises  an  area  seventy-five  miles 
in  circuit,  known  as  the  Twelve-Mile  Circle,  — a radius  of  twelve 
miles  from  the  General  Post-Office. 

Other  cities  are  formed  into  free  delivery  districts. 

The  following  table,  prepared  in  1854,  explains  itself:  — 


Population. 

Xo.  of  Let- 
ter Carriers. 

Xo.  of 
Receiving 
Houses. 

Population  to 
each  Receiv- 
ing House. 

Collections 
from  each  Re- 
ceiving House 
daily. 

Xo.  of  Letter 
Deliveries  in 
each  Town 
daily. 

London  / . . . 

2,362,236 

1,385 

498 

4,743 

2 to  11 

3 to  10 

Liverpool  . . . 

375,955 

82 

56 

6,731 

4 

3 

Glasgow  .... 

329,097 

134 

77 

4,247 

4 to  14 

4 

Manchester  . . 

316,213 

123 

107 

2,955 

Ito  5 

4 

Dublin  .... 

258,361 

109 

51 

5,066 

7 

7 

Edinburgh  . . . 

160,302 

74 

26 

6,165 

7 to  8 

4 

3,802,164 

1,907 

815 

4,665 

Ito  11 

3 to  10 

Such  are  the  accommodations.  Now  let  us  see  the  financial  re- 
sults, the  profits  of  this  great  inland  post,  and  the  extensive  use  the 
inhabitants  make  of  its  facilities. 


5 


POST-OFFICES  IN  GREAT  BPvITAIN. 

Statistics  of  1854. 


Offices. 

Population. 

Receipts. 

Expenses. 

Per 

Cent. 

Number  of 
Letters. 

Receipts 
per  1,000 
Persons. 

Letters  |! 
per  1,000  1 
Persons. 

London  .... 

2,362,236 

$6,111,531 

$1,078,290 

18 

103,377,728 

$2,587 

45,876 

Liverpool  . . . 

375,955 

459,548 

70,145 

15 

16,535,844 

1,222 

43,973 

Manchester  . . 

316,213 

373,682 

63,285 

17 

18,238,116 

1,182 

57,715 

Dublin  .... 

258,361 

268,383 

95,650 

36 

11,921,968 

1,040 

46,209 

Edinburgh  . . . 

160,302 

208,064 

50,215 

24 

7,609,764 

1,.300 

47,561 

Bristol  .... 

137,228 

147,399 

30,790 

21 

7,928,232 

1,076 

57,870 

Total,  six  cities, 

3,610,395 

$7,568,607 

$1,388,915 

18 

165,611,652 

$2,096 

45,876 

Best  of  Kingdom, 

24,223,106 

5,940,706 

1,844,280 

31 

278,037,649 

245 

11,478 

Entire  Kingdom, 

27,833,501 

$13,509,313 

$3,233,195 

24 

443,649,301 

$485 

15,939 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  table,  that,  although  these  six  cities 
contained  less  than  a seventh  part  of  the  population,  the  receipts 
were  $1,500,000  more  than  in  the  rest  of  the  kingdom. 

The  number  of  letters  per  thousand  persons  in  these  six  cities 
was  45,876,  while  in  the  rest  of  the  kingdom  it  was  but  11,478. 

It  is  a striking  fact  that  the  receipts  per  thousand  persons  in  the 
six  cities  were  $2,096,  and  in  the  rest  of  the  kingdom  but  $245 ; the 
reason  being  that  nearly  all  of  the  large  and  costly  letters  circulate 
in  the  large  cities.  These  very  profits  help  to  make  postage  cheap 
in  the  rural  districts. 

This  letter  delivery  system  of  Great  Britain  in  1854  had  the 
following,  — 


Number. 

Salaries. 

Letter-receivers  in  the  United  Kingdom  . 

4,280 

$236,742  00 

Letter-carriers  in  cities  and  towns  .... 

4,395 

804,515  00 

Letter-carriers  in  rural  districts  .... 

432 

601,420  00 

Total  carriers  and  receivers  .... 

13,001 

$1,642,677  00 

6 


In  1873  the  number  of  road  letter-boxes  was  9,000  ; in  1874,  9,700. 

Whole  number  of  “ postal  receptacles,”  21,500,  as  compared  with 
15,200  ten  years  before.  In  1874  the  number  was  22,000. 

At  nearly  six  hundred  and  sixty  places  free  deliveries  have  been 
established  for  the  first  time ; and  at  more  than  nine  hundred  other 
places  the  deliveries  have  been  extended  in  their  area,  or  increased 
in  number. 

Number  of  letter-carriers  in  1873,  16,072  [number  in  United 
States  Post-Office  in  1877,  2,265]. 

Arrangements  are  made  for  a very  early  collection  of  letters,  so 
as  to  be  sent  in  the  earliest  morning  mails.  In  London  alone  half 
a million  of  letters  and  other  packets  are  now  thus  collected  weekly. 

The  “ Controller  of  the  Circulation  ” was  sent  over  to  Dublin  to 
re-arrange  their  collection  and  delivery  upon  the  London  system. 

In  this  way  improvements  and  enlargement  of  facilities  are  con- 
stantly going  on. 


POST-OFFICES  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
Statistics  of  1854. 


Offices. 

Population. 

Receipts. 

Expenses. 

Per 

Cent. 

Number  of 
Letters. 

Receipts 
per  1,000 
Persons. 

Letters 
per  1,000 
Persons. 

New  York  . . . 

515,517 

^619,143 

$130,175 

21 

15,396,955 

$1,200 

29,879 

Philadelphia  . . 

340,045 

201,891 

50,254 

26 

5,942,520 

594 

17,478 

Baltimore  . . . 

169,054 

136,581 

35,023 

25 

2,173,171 

808 

12,859 

Bosl^n  .... 

136,375 

194,943 

54,779 

29 

5,592,888 

1,423 

40,824 

New  Orleans  , . 

116,375 

96,309 

34,031 

35 

2,288,100 

830 

19,725 

Cincinnati  . . . 

115,436 

85,423 

27,121 

32 

2,432,846 

743 

21,155 

Total,  Six  cities, 

1,393,338 

$1,334,240 

$331,383 

25 

33,826,480 

$958 

24,283 

Best  of  U.  S.  . . 

21,798,538 

4,921,296 

2,218,187 

54 

85,807,938 

226 

3,936 

23,191,876 

$6,255,586 

$2,549,570 

41 

119,634,418 

$270 

5,158 

These  six  principal  cities  in  the  United  States  contain  about  one- 
sixteenth  of  the  population,  contribute  about  twenty-two  per  cent 
of  the  receipts,  make  about  thirteen  per  cent  of  the  expenses,  and 


7 


furnish  not  quite  one-third  of  the  letters.  They  contribute  24,283 
letters  per  thousand  persons ; and  the  rest  of  the  United  States  but 
3,963  per  thousand  persons.  This  shows,  also,  that  the  letters  and 
profits  thereon,  which  make  cheap  postage  possible  in  the  rural 
districts,  as  well  as  the  cities,  come  from  the  literary,  commercial, 
and  man^ifacturing  districts.  These  increased  facilities  in  compact 
settlements,  therefore,  take  nothing  away  from  the  sparse  settle- 
ments, but  earn  profits  to  aid  in  increasing  their  facilities  also. 


POST-OFFICES  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN. 
Statistics  of  1854. 


Cities. 

Letters  in  the 
Mails. 

City  Circula- 
tion, or  Drop- 
Letters. 

Gross  Reve- 
nue from  City 
Circulation. 

Wages  of  Let- 
ter Carriers 
& Receivers. 

Net  Profit 
on  City 
Circulation. 

London  

57,186,159 

46,191,569 

^1,385,747 

$761,510 

$824,037 

Liverpool 

9,145,802 

7,390,042 

221,701 

27,035 

194,666 

Manchester  ...... 

10,088,556 

8,149,560 

244,487 

38,225 

206,262 

Dublin J . 

6,592,834 

5,329,134 

159,876 

38,940 

120,934 

Edinburgh 

4,208,094 

3,401,670 

102,050 

20,060 

■ 81,990 

Bristol 

4,384,416 

3,543,816 

106,314- 

15,855 

90,459 

91,605,861 

74,005,791 

$2,220,173 

$701,825 

$1,518,348 

This  table  of  six  principal  English  cities  shows  the  letters  in  the 
mail  as  91,500,000,  and  drop-letters,  or  city  circulation,  74,000,000 ; 
making  a total  of  165,500,000.  The  gross  revenue  is  over  12,000,000 ; 
the  expenses,  $701,825,  — less  than  one-third;  and  the  net  profit  on 
city  circulation  is  $1,818,348,  or  near  seventy  per  cent  of  the  receipts. 

These  tables  were  made  some  years  since ; but  subsequent  expe- 
rience only  confirms  them. 

In  the  postmaster-general’s  last  report  (p.  26)  he  speaks  of  Con- 
gress having  settled,  that  regular  legitimate  periodicals  “ shall  pass 
through  the  mails  at  privileged  rates  of  postage  ; that  is,  at  less  than 
the  cost  of  transportation,^’’ 

Can  this  be  correct  ? 

The  lowest  rates  for  newspapers  and  periodicals  are  two  cents  per 


JS 


pound.  This  is  at  the  rate  of  four  dollars  for  two  hundred  p^ounds, 
and  forty  dollars  per  ton  of  two  thousand  pounds.  Now,  a barrel  of 
flour  can  be  transported  to  Europe  (3,000  miles)  for  from  fifty  to 
eighty-seven  cents,  or  for  ^4.37  per  ton,  or  about  two  mills  per 
pound.  The  cost  of  transportation  per  ton  to  New  Orleans  (1,850 
miles)  is  from  two  dollars  and  a half  to  four  dollars  per  ton,  — less 
than  two  mills  per  pound. 

5 postal-cards  weigh  half  an  ounce.  160  postal-cards  weigh  a 
pound.  This  is  11.60  postage  for  a pound.  At  this  rate  the  postage 
on  200  pounds  (weight  of  a barrel  of  flour)  is  $320;  a ton  of  2,000 
pounds,  $3,200. 

Half-ounce  letters  at  three  cents  each  are  ninety-six  cents  per 
pound;  200  pounds  of  them  would  be  $192.  A ton  of  2,000  of 
letters  would  be  $1,920. ; 

The  average  of  letters  is  one-fourth  of  an  ounce  or  less.  A ton  of 
quarter-ounce  letters  would  be  $3,840. 

These  facts  will  show  where  postal  profits  come  from. 

A thorough  analysis  by  our  most  competent  experts,  giving  all  the 
elements  of  cost  in  moving  freight  on  the  Erie  Canal,  shows  that  it 
is  less  than  one  cent  per  ton  per  mile. 

A similar  analysis  shows  that  on  a railroad  on  a great  thoroughfare, 
the  cost  of  transportation  may  be  made  within  five  mills  per  ton 
per  mile. 

If,  therefore,  the  government  is  paying  the  extravagant  rates  indi- 
cated for  transportation,  the  facts  should  be  known,  and  a remedy 
applied,  without  putting  the  burden  upon  the  diffusion  of  knowledge. 

Is  it  creditable  to  our  national  civilization,  that,  with  several 
millions  more  of  population  than  England,  we  should  fall  so  far 
behind  them  in  the  means  of  diffusing  social,  moral,  and  commercial 
intelligence,  which  form  the  very  foundations  of  our  solidarity  as  a 
nation?  Should  the  intelligence  of  our  nation  be  satisfied  with  a 
system  that  distributes  only  some  400,000,000'of  letters,  postal-cards, 
and  papers  in  one“~year,  when  .the  English  office  is  circulating  at  the 
same  time  some  1,400,000,000,  and  clearing  a net  revenue  therefrom, 
over  expenses,  of  over  $13,700,000  per  year? 


